My turn for some flower pics

[nootka]

I was the lucky recipient of the gift of a couple of stalks of wildflowers and a handwritten poetry quote from a friend the other day. It was a neat gesture, and so I decided to photograph them before they wilted.

One of them is a California Poppy, not necessarily indigenous to this region, but grows roadside in some abundance, the other I have no idea though they are a "weed" from what I gather.

"To see the world in a grain of sand, and to see heaven in a wild flower, hold infinity in the palm of your hands, and eternity in an hour. "

-William Blake "In Imagination"
(It occurs to me I should have photographed the note w/the flowers...Just gotta love that quote, though!)

Anyway, I thought I would get a few pics of some of my "domesticated" flowers while I was thinking about it:

Impatiens. My gramma called these "Bizzy Lizzies" which bugged me b/c I never liked my name and I thought she was teasing me when she said that.

Lobelia, I think this is the Sapphire, don't remember for sure. I buy lots of these to fill up my planters around the back porch, in all the shades I can find.

I tried some new Sweet Peas this year, with the streaks in them rather than the solid colors. They smell great, like candy or something. I always plant them to the left of my door as you're coming in and they smell awesome!

And Nasturtiums. These verge on being a weed for me. I am always pulling them out and trying to nip them back a bit.

Here is how they look (this is a previous year's planting) mixed w/the Nasturtiums and on the metal trellises:

They also grow amongst the Sweet Peas and threaten to choke them out if I don't. I don't think I've bought Nasturtium seeds since I moved in here. They sure reproduce and are persistent about it! *LOL*

The ONLY bloom currently on my Mother's Day Fuschia basket. This was left on my front steps the day before Mother's Day, a welcome find! It is getting ready to put out a lot of new blooms, though they are all just buds right now. The hummingbirds here just love these.

Some Petunias and another type of flower residing together in a HUGE hanging basket we bought about two months ago from a local nursery. This one's not as big as previous year's which got about four feet in length top to bottom! Here are pics of the two baskets I got the year Colton was born (2004):

Well, enough flower pics for me for the moment.

I enjoy everyone's pictures so I thought I would play too!

Liz

 

[sharon]

:aktion033: Beautiful pics of beautiful flowers!!! Love the Sweet Peas and Nasturtiums! I can never get either of them to grow here. My dad used to use Nasturtiums in salads. Yummy!

 

[nootka]

Yeah that's funny, my husband eats them, too!

I don't care for the taste but I do appreciate they are "safe" to eat as now my two little boys run around munching on them (another reason I don't use nasty chemicals in my gardens).

Sweet Peas are so great...I only wish my Honeysuckle had survived the aphid attack of the earlier Spring, because it would really be smelling fantastic on my back patio about now.

Liz

 

[nootka]

Thanks, Karla,

Yep, I like the tiny, dainty flowers most of all I think, especially those that put out such a profusion that they look large! If that makes sense. Another favorite is Pansies but this year mine seemed to have suffered from the overwet conditions we had for a while. I usually favor the dark black ones w/the yellow centers if I can find them.

My pics aren't as nice as yours but hey I figure if I don't take pics of my flowers, when they've faded and the winter is here, they will be but a memory, albeit a pleasant one!

Liz

 

[mountain_waif]

Simply beautiful!! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Sterling]

Oh these pics are sooo beautiful! I remember Mom planting Sweet Peas in CA and the smell of them. Whats your secret for Petunias? I've tried and tried year after year, but when the flower dies off of the stem, the stem goes dry and leggy...just ugly!! Do you use some kind of plant food for your flowers....or are you one of those lucky green thumbs too?!! Only thing I seem to be able to keep alive are New Guinea Impatients, Begonias, Dusty Millers and Marigolds. Even my Morning Glories are looking sad. No wonder I like the arid desert....it's not hard to kill a cactus!!

: Oh and I think that peom is awesome!

 

[Shari]

Just beautiful Liz!

I can't get sweet peas to grow, for the life of me. Well,, the slugs don't help matters much.

Love the pictures! Very cheerful and happy!

:

 

[nootka]

Cheyenne, I DO use Miracle Grow every so often on the flowers, though I have been known to space out and let them dry out to the point of wilting at times!

If I water them when they start looking droopy, they end up looking fine again soon.

I do also pinch off the dead Petunia blossoms occasionally, too, though with those huge baskets it's hard to get all of them all the time. I don't know if this is right or wrong, but it seems to me to help them bring out new, fresh blossoms for longer.

Thanks for the compliments, I really am NOT a green thumb, for some reason, these types of flowers just do well for me as a rule.

Liz

 

[Hosscrazy]

Absolutely beautiful!!! I LOVE your Sweet Peas - they're gorgeous!!! Right now I have more fruits and vegetables than I have flowers - tons of tomatos, strawberries, watermelon just started and my artichoke plants are doing great. My flowers are roses and bouganvillas. Lots of them! Thanks for sharing your colorful garden!

Liz R.